NSA crash attempt failed
TWO people tried to ram the main entrance gate of the National Security Agency (NSA) headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., on Monday, March 30. An NSA police officer shot one of the intruders dead, and seriously injured the second, according to officials.
An anonymous law enforcement official said a firefight ensued after the car tried to crash the military base gate just after 9:00 am. Aerial shots of the scene showed two damaged SUVs at an intersection, and emergency workers were seen loading an injured man in uniform into an ambulance. The incident took place near one of the gates to the complex, far from the main buildings.
Two men dressed as women had apparently tried to force their SUV past security, according to anonymous senior defense official reports.
“NSA security personnel prevented them from gaining access to the installation,” an official statement read.
Emergency responders and multiple law enforcement agencies were quickly on the scene.
The FBI said it was conducting an investigation and interviewing witnesses with NSA police and other law enforcement agencies.
“We are working with the US Attorney’s Office in Maryland to determine if federal charges are warranted,” the FBI said in a statement. It also said that it does not believe the incident was terrorist-related.
The shooting was the second security incident this month involving the NSA. In early March, a former state correctional officer was arrested, accused in a string of Maryland shootings, including one at Fort Meade. Gunshots struck a building near the NSA office, according to the police report.
Police stopped and arrested 35-year-old Hong Young, from Beltsville, Md., recognizing his vehicle as the same one seen in surveillance footage near some of the other shootings. A gun in the car also matched evidence found at the shootings.
Police said earlier this month that there were no links to terrorism in the case, and no motive has yet been determined. No one was killed in any of the five previous shooting incidents.
“[Monday’s incident] has been contained and is under investigation,” said Col. Brian Foley, Fort Meade garrison commander. “The residents, service members, and civilian employees on the installation are safe. We continue to remain vigilant at all of our access control points.”
The military base at Fort Meade is home to 95 units from all branches of the armed forces and offices which report to Defense Department agencies, according to the US Army.
About 11,000 military employees and 29,000 civilians work at the base. Some 6,000 people also live on the base, which has been open since 1917 as an operating garrison during World War I.
(With reports from Associated Press, CNN, Los Angeles Times)
(www.asianjournal.com)
(LA Midweek April 1-3, 2015 Sec. A pg.3)
